arthurj

https://www.advanceinsurance.co.uk They’re just a broker, I can’t remember who provides the actual insurance.

Taking a look at this without going too far, but I think there’s a very small amount of movement in the shaft here. Wobbling the steering column while parked it feels way too small to be the rattle I’m feeling, but maybe it magnified while driving?

Mine already had an interlock fitted so that you could watch videos while driving. I don’t know exactly how it’s done but I believe the technique is to block the input that tells the radio whether park or the brake is engaged. The front monitor and rear are separate, they don’t have to mirror each other. You can set a DVD going then switch to the empty satnav or one of the driving stats screens in the front to avoid being distracted. This is why I haven’t upgraded - I can’t find a head unit that will do that, they will only mirror the front screen to the rear one.

I have a 2012 hybrid. It does around 30mpg on average. This isn't fantastic, but slightly better than the 3-litre models while having limited 4WD and more power than the 2.4l. I suspect my hybrid battery is partly depleted because I've seen some others get slightly better mpg, so I will need that fixed at some point. I don't really see a lot of difference in town or on long runs. It might even be slightly more efficient in town. My local Stoneacre Toyota will service it and import parts no problem, with the exception of the hybrid systems which they will not touch, because they can't connect their diagnostic computer to the car (they claim). I can't find anyone near me who will, unfortunately. Mechanically the car is very solid, just the usual wear and tear on a car of its age and mileage. Better than my Skoda, certainly. Toyota garages and parts are a bit expensive but the service is OK (except that they won't do diagnostics). I have a local garage that does work on imports for much less than the Toyota garage, but that was hard to find, and I've found that a lot of garages simply won't look at it. Insurance is difficult to find and not cheap. Most places don't have the hybrid on their books, it's always an effort every year. I currently pay about £800/yr with Advance. A lot of drawbacks and it's not a cheap car to run, but I do love it

So I have this rattle issue too, very noticable when going over bumps. It was in the the shop today anyway so I got the guy to take a look and he eliminated it being the rack or suspension and said it would need a replacement column, though he wasn't sure what was causing it. It certainly sounds like it's coming from there. I don't think it's the electric steering damper, because there's no play if I turn the steering left or right. Also my service history said it's been replaced once already at 40k miles. Is there any way of diagnosing if it's the upper steering column @Maxim posted above or the shaft that @Picasso posted? That rattle in Maxim's video sounds very similar. Mine sounds much louder when going over bumps though. Could it be both?

Me too, please!

Thanks!

I need to get a small dent in my tailgate repaired and resprayed. The body shop said that I would need to source replacement badges as they’ll have to be removed and they can’t guarantee they’ll survive the process. I can find the listings on Amayama but the VELLFIRE badge itself has been discontinued and replaced with this one. https://www.amayama.com/en/part/toyota/7544158090 I can’t work out if this package contains the ALPHARD badge, VELLFIRE or both. I don’t want to order the wrong one, obviously. Does anyone know? Or, does anyone know a another reliable source of badges?

The user manual has torque setting for wheel nuts, not sure about other items.

That’s really interesting! Do you know whether you have a JDM car or one made for Malaysia/Singapore? The latter have some kind of multi-language capabilities but I’m not sure how far that goes.

Nothing interesting! I usually have set it to show a split display with the map on the left (even though it just shows blue) and media on the right (which only shows the name and track of what’s playing but no video). Keeps distractions down. ideally it would show a map in the front and video in the back.

Mine can open from both sides, yes. There’s a separate button for each direction.

No chance of being able to fix and respray, unfortunately.

I got rear-ended while waiting at a roundabout. The impact was minor but the rear bumper's a bit bent and has a crack. Does anyone know roughly how much it would cost to source a replacement and get it replaced? 20-series Vellfire, black. Toyota will do it of course, but it'll cost a fortune. Was hoping for a cheaper one from a breaker's yard in the UK or something, I just don't know where to look.

Yes it’s legal to only have one reversing light and for the other one to be replaced by a fog light. There has to be a separate switch on the dash, clearly marked. My 20-series has this setup.